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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23188873">Bad Idea</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard'>startrekkingaroundasgard</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Kidnapping, Soft Master (Doctor Who), Tumblr Prompt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 05:54:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,651</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23188873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Master kidnaps the reader, a princess on her planet. She is initially hostile but as the days pass her anger fades and The Master finds himself quite smitten with the person beneath the facade.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Master (Dhawan)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bad Idea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Get off of me!”</p><p>The Master rolled his eyes at your pathetic attempt to escape. He let you take the few frantic steps towards the door, offering the illusion of freedom before reality came crashing down on you. He savoured the moment, the way your shoulders dropped in defeat, the quiet gasp that escaped your lips like music to his ears, as you stared out into the nothingness of space. </p><p>    “Too late,” he said, studying your silhouette against the darkened sky. He’d been so focused on taking you from the library, causing as much of a scene as he could - the panic and frantic action of the guards, too little too late, had given him such a rush - that he hadn’t spared you more than a second glance. Now, though, he had time to indulge his curiosity.</p><p>You had a nice figure, for a lesser species. The light fabric of your dress wafted as you turned towards him, the harsh lights of the TARDIS illuminating your face. Your face was painted with bright pigments, the traditional mask behind which royalty on your planet hid themselves. The contrasting colours highlighted your features, curiously emphasising the imperfections and presenting them as something wonderful to behold. </p><p>From an entirely objective point of view, you were quite beautiful indeed. </p><p>Your eyes widened as you took in the TARDIS for the first time. Reactions to the magnificent ship varied from person to person. Some looked upon the control console with wonder. Others were confused, their tiny minds unable to comprehend the truth of what they were seeing. A very small number were unimpressed, criticised the decoration and projected an air of superiority as if their pathetic ships were capable of anything as remarkable as this. </p><p>Never, in millennia of travelling the universe, had anyone reacted with anger. </p><p>Gathering your skirts in your hand, you stormed up to the central platform and slammed your hand down on the console’s edge. The TARDIS groaned in protest, taking an immediate dislike to you. The Master couldn’t help but agree; the arrogance of lesser species was intolerable. </p><p>You had the gaul to shove his shoulder, straightening your back and projecting an unearned air of importance. “You shall return me to the palace immediately.”</p><p>    “I shall do no such thing, Princess.”</p><p>    “I order you!”</p><p>The Master laughed, amazed by your self-importance. How you could possibly believe that you had any leverage in this situation was beyond him. You didn’t back away when he stepped towards you but you noticeably shrunk beneath his intense glare. Good. Maybe you were starting to realise exactly where you belonged in the food chain. </p><p>Face so close to yours that he could feel your breath on his cheek, The Master muttered, “I don’t answer to you. Now, sit down and shut up, will you dear? If you stay out of my way, I might even return you to your pathetic little planet once the job is done.”</p><p>    “What job is that, exactly?” you asked. Even on the backfoot, you still believed yourself worthy of inclusion in his scheme. The privilege of royalty. </p><p>    “None of your business. I won’t tell you again; sit down and stay out of my way or you will regret it." </p><p>The Master shoved you away, bored now. You stumbled backwards, tripping on your long skirt. You hit the floor with a harsh crash, face contorted in a pained wince as you rotated your wrist to check for damage. You looked to him, a curious expression on your face, as if you hoped he would offer you sympathy or something equally mundane. When he did not, you huffed in annoyance, collecting what remained of your dignity, and sat up straight, staring blankly at the door. </p><p>A thick, defiant silence filled the TARDIS, broken only by the gentle hum of the engine. You kept your back to him, maintaining a beautiful silence as he busied himself with the many different schemes he had on the go. If you were reasonable, continued like this, remained out of his way, then he’d have no reason to hurt you. Why that was a concern, he didn’t know - he’d never given a second thought to eliminating a problem before - but he decided it was best not to dwell on it. </p><p>The Master soon lost himself in his work. He was constructing a device that would remove half the population of a nearby world in a beautifully elegant way. It would pull them from the timestream and trap them a second in the past, locking them on a separate plane, so close to their families and loved ones but just out of reach. They’d be able to feel their shadows as they passed but never see them, never truly interact. </p><p>Of course, it was complicated technology. For one object, a TARDIS, for example, locking it just out of phase with this reality it was easy. The Doctor had taught him that trick many years ago.  But to sustain it for an entire living population was a challenge - one he was perfectly capable of achieving; he simply needed time to perfect the device. All it would take was one wrong calculation for the entire population to blink out of existence for good and that was too simple a punishment for their crimes. They needed to be alive to suffer.</p><p>Setting down the device, The Master stretched out his limbs and looked around the room, bothered by the emptiness. He checked the screen and kicked the console. "Why didn’t you say something?” he asked the TARDIS. “Three days? She’s been wandering around unattended for three days!" </p><p>The central pillar dimmed, his outburst no doubt having hurt her feelings. Well, she should be used to it by now. The Master grabbed his coat and slipped it on, storming through the corridors in search of you. There weren’t many places you could hide here, if the TARDIS had done her job properly and kept you out of the restricted areas. Considering she kept him out of certain parts of the ship, he was fairly certain where you’d be.</p><p>His hunch proved correct. He found you in the library, sat in the centre of the vast room, surrounded by piles of books. They ranged from ancient philosophical arguments in favour of colonisation to instruction manuals for vehicles you had never seen to romantic novellas set on paradise planets. You’d pulled a table from somewhere and a pot of tea sat atop it, freshly brewed judging by the strong fruity smell in the air.</p><p>You were completely unaware of The Master’s presence. Engrossed in a book from thirtieth century Mars, you wore a soft smile on your face as you devoured the Ice Warrior’s crude attempt at storytelling with curiosity. More interesting than your enjoyment of some of the galaxy’s worst literature was the fact he could actually see your face. </p><p>Gone was the ceremonial paint that masked your features, revealing your true beauty. It wasn’t the softness of your skin or the bright colour of your eyes that took The Master’s breath away, although he couldn’t deny the spark of base desire that burned in his chest as he watched you read. It was the fascination, the wild interest in the world around you, the intrigue to know everything regardless of whether it was good or bad. </p><p>There was only one other person he’d ever met that shared that level of curiosity in the universe: The Doctor.</p><p>    "You’re still here,” he said. He leaned against a bookshelf, arms folded across his chest as he skimmed the titles of the books with which you’d built yourself a fortress. Quite the varied collection indeed. And there, on the left, an entire encyclopaedic collection of TARDIS manuals. His paranoia spiked - Were you planning to steal his ship? To sabotage the mechanism somehow? - but the volumes of books beside them, detailed accounts of the universe, star charts and trade route maps between planetary systems, suggested your interest was innocent.</p><p>    “I couldn’t exactly walk out the front door.” Your words were sharp but the tone had softened. The anger you’d felt three days previous had faded and you now regarded The Master with nothing more than curiosity. Setting the book aside, you poured yourself a cup of tea and cradled the mug in your hands, a feeble attempt to hide the way your fingers trembled. “So…”</p><p>    “So…” The Master mocked. </p><p>    “The people that paid you to kidnap me, are you going to deliver them to me now?" </p><p>Interesting. You were smarter than he’d given you credit for. Obviously the library wasn’t the only thing you’d discovered while he’d been distracted with his own side project. </p><p>The Master tilted his head to the side, momentarily blindsided by the way your hair reflected the warm lights above. He wondered if your hair was as soft as it looked before shoving the thought aside. Neither the time nor the place. Maintaining a level expression, he said, "That was the plan.”</p><p>    “Was? As in, no longer the plan?” Your face lit up, annoyingly optimistic. Charmingly excited, like a puppy being teased with their favourite treat. </p><p>    “One mistake,” he said, already turning towards the door. “You make one mistake and I’ll hand you over without another thought.”</p><p>Your footsteps were light as you ran after him. You caught his arm, meeting his gaze without fear. “Are you… You’re letting me stay? Travel with you?”</p><p>    “Until I get bored of you, yes." </p><p>    "Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving him frozen to the spot as you skipped off to the main console room. He could still feel your lips over his skin, the ghost of the kiss still tingling. </p><p>This was definitely a bad idea, he realised.  A smile spread across his face as he chased after you. Definitely a bad idea but those were the best kind.</p>
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